Daniela is the Managing Attorney for the Immigration Program. She joined DCVLP in 2022. Daniela was previously an antitrust associate in the Washington, DC office of White & Case LLP. While at White & Case, Daniela maintained an active pro bono practice, including counseling clients regarding asylum matters, drafting comments in opposition to proposed Department of Homeland Security rules, and advocating for the release of a Guantanamo detainee. During law school, she led and participated in various immigration clinics and worked at an immigration law firm, focusing on asylum and other forms of relief. Before starting her legal career, Daniela worked as a field representative for a Member of Congress, focusing on community building and advocating for constituents. Daniela earned her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley School of Law and two B.A.s from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia. Daniela is a native Spanish speaker.

Norah Sloss is a Managing Attorney for custody and divorce in our Domestic Violence program, representing domestic violence survivors in civil protection order and family law cases. Prior to joining DCVLP in 2021, Norah was an associate at The Law Office of Rebekah Sullivan, where she represented clients in various family law matters in Washington, DC and Maryland. Previously, Norah was the Staff Attorney for the Domestic Violence Legal Wellness Program of Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County. Norah began working with survivors of domestic violence on civil protective order and family law cases in D.C. Superior Court, as a student attorney with the Families and the Law Clinic at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. Norah received her JD from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law with a concentration in family law and she received her B.S. from Loyola University New Orleans.

Katherine has been involved with DCVLP since she took DCVLP’s first family law case in 2009. Since then, she has volunteered and been on staff at DCVLP, representing clients in civil protective orders, divorce and custody cases involving domestic violence, and as a Guardian ad litem. Katherine was the first hire for DCVLP’s expansion into Montgomery County, Maryland, where she provides representation to domestic violence survivors in protection orders and family law cases. Katherine graduated with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from UCLA Law School. After law school, Katherine clerked for the Honorable Arthur L. Alarcon on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was then an associate at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering before taking time off to raise her four children. Katherine is a certified mediator and speaks conversational Spanish.

Karen joined DCVLP in 2023 as a Managing Attorney in the Montgomery County office. Karen previously worked for Maryland Legal Aid in Montgomery County as a Children in Need of Assistance (CINA) attorney, representing children involved in child abuse and neglect proceedings, and more recently as a Managing Attorney at Disability Rights Maryland. Prior to joining Maryland Legal Aid, Karen volunteered with DCVLP, representing survivors in family law cases, as well as serving as a Guardian ad litem in DC Superior Court. Karen began her legal career representing New York City’s child welfare agency in child abuse and neglect proceedings in New York County Family Court. Karen received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and her B.A. from Brandeis University. Karen is licensed to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and New York, and she is proficient in Spanish.

Stephanie Bergman is a Supervising Attorney in DCVLP’s Domestic Violence Program. Stephanie handles Civil Protection Order and family law matters on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. Stephanie joined DCVLP as a Roxana Cannon Arsht Law Fellow in March 2021. She was a DVCLP volunteer representing at-risk children as a court-appointed guardian ad litem from 2017-2021. Stephanie previously practiced as a litigation associate at Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, D.C., and Connolly Epstein Chicco Foxman Engelmyer and Ewing in Philadelphia, PA, and as a staff attorney at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Stephanie earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. from Lehigh University.

Ms. Berman is a Supervising Attorney handling protection order cases. She joined DCVLP in 2018 as the Roxana Cannon Arsht Law Fellow. Prior to joining the staff, Ms. Berman was a volunteer with DCVLP. Ms. Berman previously practiced as a litigation associate in the New York office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. While at Morgan Lewis, she also worked on pro bono cases assisting domestic violence survivors. Ms. Berman earned her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and her B.A. from Wellesley College. She is proficient in Spanish.

Tara joined DCVLP in 2022 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by Crowell & Moring Foundation. Tara’s fellowship focuses on representing survivors who have suffered gun violence or were threatened by gun violence. Her representation focuses on Civil Protection Order and Extreme Risk Protection Order cases. Tara also provides representation in a limited number of family law cases where a child custody order or divorce decree would provide continued stability and violence prevention. Additionally, Tara provides know-your-rights presentations and work with the DCVLP’s community partners to educate the community about the availability of Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Tara graduated with her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2022. Tara received her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles. Tara is proficient in Spanish.

Amy joined DCVLP in 2021 as a Roxana Cannon Arsht Law Fellow. Prior to joining the staff, Amy was a volunteer with DCVLP. Before that, Amy practiced law as a securities attorney. After law school, Amy clerked for the Honorable Deborah S. Byrnes, on the Court of Special Appeals in Maryland. She received her J.D. from the University of Baltimore Law School and her B.A. from Loyola University.

Sarah Deibler is a Supervising Attorney in DCVLP’s Immigration Program. Prior to joining DCVLP in 2023, Sarah provided pro bono legal representation to Massachusetts residents seeking asylum and applying for naturalization. In her asylum practice, she worked primarily with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and, in her naturalization practice, she worked primarily with clients seeking disability-based exceptions to English language and civics testing requirements. In addition to practicing immigration law, Sarah has written a doctoral dissertation examining the role of international advocacy in the prosecution of forced marriage as a crime against humanity. She has also taught legal research and writing skills to LL.M. students as a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Sarah received her LL.M. from Northeastern University School of Law, and her LL.B. from the London School of Economics.

Maddie is DCVLP’s Medical-Legal Partnerships Supervising Attorney. In that role, she manages two medical-legal partnerships that she created, which are located at Children’s National Columbia Heights and AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Maddie also supervises volunteer attorneys on cases in DCVLP’s Immigration practice area. Maddie joined DCVLP in September 2021 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by DLA Piper LLP (US) and Verizon Foundation. During law school, Maddie represented domestic violence survivors as a student attorney with the Georgetown Law Domestic Violence Clinic. She also assisted refugee survivors of gender-based violence at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia. With the National Women’s Law Center and Legal Voice, Maddie aided in ongoing cases and researched reproductive justice law and policy. Ms. Glennie graduated with her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2021. Prior to law school, Maddie worked with survivors of human trafficking, and she received her B.A. from Drake University.

Ricardo Gomez is a Medical-Legal Partnership Staff Attorney at DCVLP. In this role, he provides brief legal advice in immigration and domestic violence at DCVLP legal clinics co-located inside medical clinics throughout DC and also provides high quality direct representation in immigration and domestic violence cases. Ricardo began working with immigrants during law school where he played an active role in various immigration clinics, assisting in asylum, SIJS, U-visa, and custody and bond cases. In addition, he was an Equal Justice Works – Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellow at Legal Services of Greater Miami, where he provided direct legal services, engaged in community outreach and education, and assisted in litigation concerning affordable housing and evictions. Prior to joining DCVLP, Ricardo was a bipartisan legislative advocate, where he met with Congress and federal government departments and agencies to advocate for increased education, resources, and programs to help veterans access economic opportunities after service. Ricardo earned his B.A. from Hawaii Pacific University and J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is an eight-year Marine Corps veteran and a native Spanish speaker

Vanessa Hernandez is a Supervising Attorney in our Domestic Violence Program. Prior to joining DCVLP, Vanessa worked for CAIR Coalition advocating for and representing detained immigrant children in their humanitarian cases. While at CAIR Coalition, Vanessa served minors from Central America by providing direct representation to them and by mentoring pro bono attorneys who volunteered to take their cases. Vanessa has previously worked with survivors of domestic violence at CAIR Coalition and during her internships with Ayuda and with the Domestic Violence Unit at DC Superior Court. Before starting her legal career, Vanessa worked for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as a Resources Analyst. Vanessa earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus; her Master’s degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus; and her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Elaine Holmes is a Supervising Attorney handling protection order and family law cases on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. She joined DCVLP in 2021. Prior to joining the staff, Ms. Holmes was a staff attorney at the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she handled a full caseload of protective order, family law and employment cases. Prior to that, Ms. Holmes was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Straus Hauer & Feld LLP and the New York office of Duane Morris LLP. While in private practice, she also worked on pro bono cases assisting domestic violence survivors. Ms. Holmes earned her J.D. from New York University of Law and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Elaine speaks basic Spanish and is working towards proficiency.

Masooma Hussain is a supervising attorney in the Domestic Violence and Family Law Program at DCVLP. Prior to this position, Masooma served as a bilingual staff attorney at Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), where she represented and advocated on behalf of victims of crimes, including sexual assault and domestic violence, and surviving family members of homicide victims. She also has experience with family law, having served as a judicial law clerk at the DC Superior Court’s Domestic Relations Branch and representing clients, pro bono, in divorce and custody cases at Aydua. In addition to her legal career, Masooma comes to DCVLP with experience in policy, having advocated for funding for early childhood programs such as universal pre-k and home-visitation – former campaigns of The Pew Charitable Trusts – and investigations, serving as the analyst-in-charge for investigations undertaken by the Office of the DC Auditor, including the evaluation of DC’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation of First Amendment Activities, and the District of Columbia Public Schools’ school meals program. Masooma received her B.A. from New York University and J.D. from the Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America.

Michaela joined DCVLP in 2022 as an Immigration Supervising Attorney. Prior to this role, Michaela was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney that advocated for survivors of human trafficking and power-based violence seeking safety in the court and immigration systems through targeted outreach and community coordination, direct legal services, and pro bono mentorship. Michaela earned a J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law in 2020, and a B.A. from Tulane University in 2015. Michaela is proficient in Spanish.

Najja Ogundiran joined DCVLP in 2023 as a Roxana Cannon Arsht Law Fellow. Prior to this role, Najja was the Assistant Director for Academic Advising at The George Washington University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science. Najja earned a J.D. from Stetson College of Law in 2013 and a B.A. from Howard University in 2007. During law school, Najja served as a Guardian ad Litem and a certified legal intern with the Pinellas County Public Defender’s Office Juvenile Division where she represented youth in dependency and delinquency court.

Colleen is a Supervising Attorney in our Child Advocacy Program. She serves as a court-appointed Guardian ad litem for children in complex custody cases in DC Superior Court. Prior to joining the DCVLP staff, Colleen was a volunteer attorney with DCVLP for ten years. Colleen began her legal career as a litigation associate in the Washington D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Prior to attending law school, Colleen served as an officer in the United States Air Force. Colleen earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.S in computer science from the University of Notre Dame. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Dana Rubin is a Supervising Attorney in our Child Advocacy Program. She serves as a court-appointed Guardian ad litem for children in complex custody cases in DC Superior Court. Prior to joining DCVLP in 2021, Dana was a Guardian ad litem for children in abuse and neglect cases in D.C. and an Assistant Attorney General in the Child Protection Section of the D.C. Office of the Attorney General. She received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and her B.A. from Brandeis University.

Juliette is a Staff Attorney in the Child Advocacy Program. She serves as Guardian ad litem for children in complex custody cases in DC Superior Court. Prior to joining DCVLP in 2023, Juliette was a law clerk at DC Superior Court where she advised two Associate Judges on the Domestic Relations Branch and managed a docket of divorce, custody, and child support cases. Juliette earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Vanderbilt University. She is licensed to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Robyn is DCVLP’s Supervising Attorney for Impact Litigation and Advocacy. In that role, she oversees DCVLP’s appellate practice and supports the organization’s strategic advocacy, outreach, and communication efforts on policy issues. Robyn joined DCVLP in 2020 as the Roxana Cannon Arsht Law Fellow and in 2021 became a Supervising Attorney in the Child Advocacy Practice. She has supervised volunteer Guardians ad litem in over 50 custody cases in D.C. Superior Court. Prior to joining the DCVLP staff, Robyn served as a volunteer attorney in cases across all of DCVLP’s practice areas, including immigration, divorce/custody, and domestic violence. Robyn began her legal career as an Honors Attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor, where she handled a range of rulemaking, policy, and enforcement matters. As a government attorney defending the rights of retirement plan participants, and later as an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Cohen Milstein, she gained over 10 years of experience in all stages of complex plaintiff-side litigation, from case development and complaint drafting to discovery, motions practice, and bench trials. She has also briefed and argued numerous cases in U.S. Courts of Appeals and has experience drafting briefs opposing certiorari to the Supreme Court as well as amicus curiae briefs in matters pending before federal district and circuit courts. During law school, Robyn was a student fellow at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law and the Chicago Legal Clinic. Through her school’s clinical program, she also represented children and victims of gender-based violence in asylum cases. Robyn earned her J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Washington. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia.